Splitter



Sept 8, 1970 rrsuo MATSU] ET AL 3,527,393

SPLITTER Filed July 23, 1968 INVENTORS MITSUO MATSUI CHUJI SHIMIZU ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,527,393 SPLITTER Mitsuo Matsui, Ashikaga-shi, Tochigi-ken, and Chuji Shimizu, Tokyo-to, Japan, assignors to Chori Company, Ltd., Osaka-shi, Japan, a corporation of Japan Filed July 23, 1968, Ser. No. 746,830 Int. Cl. B26f 3/00; B26d 1/12 US. Cl. 225-97 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention relates to a splitter. More particularly, it relates to a novel construction of a splitter for splitting film or sheet of synthetic resins or plastic materials so as to produce continuous split yarn or fibrous strands therefrom in the manner described in US. Pat. No. 3,378,997.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Conventional types of splitters hitherto used for such a purpose have usually been made up of a number of cutter disks each having or not having at its periphery a plurality of tooth cogs and a number of washer members alternately stacked in parallel on a common center shaft. When using such conventional splitter for splitting film or sheet it is difficult to make a fine and minute split pattern on the film or sheet since no cutter disk is positioned at the space occupied by the washer member between a successive pair of the cutter disks. Moreover, when the washer members have once been put and assembled into the splitter, the gap or width of the split on the film is set and cannot thereafter be modified. Therefore, the splitter must be exchanged for another one every time a modified slit pattern is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of this invention is to provide a novel splitter by use of which the state and condition of split can be easily varied, thus eliminating the necessity of a dif ferent splitter every time one wishes to vary the state and condition of split.

In the present invention, the splitter is so constructed that a toothed cutter disk constituting an element of the splitter is twisted at its cut gap thereby modifying the arrangement of the tooth cogs of the cutter disk so as to give variety in the split pattern to be formed on the film.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The splitter of the present invention will be described in more detail by reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the splitter of the invention at its working state in combination with a press roll and with the film to be split.

FIG. 2 is a full front view of the splitter of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the splitter of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross section of the splitter of this invention.

3,527,393 Patented Sept. 8, 1970 "ice FIGS. 5 and 6 are side views of the cutter disks of the splitter of this invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the washer member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The splitter is made up of a desired number of thin cutter disks 8 and washer members 7 each alternately stacked in parallel and inserted onto a common shaft 2. The combined cutter disks and the washer members are fitted on both sides with ratchet wheels 5, 6 inserted onto the same shaft 2 and each ratchet wheel being supported with an outer washer member 3, 4 also inserted onto the shaft 2. The shaft 2 is provided with a spline 1 running in the axial direction. Each of the ratchet wheels, cutter disks and washer members is inserted onto the shaft 2 in such a way that the spline 1 of the shaft 2 tightly engages in a notch or check 9, 10 formed in the shaftdnserting hole of each insert member thereby secur ing the coaxial rotation thereof with the shaft 2. In other words, ratchet wheels, cutter disks and washer members are each freely slidable in the axial direction of the shaft but are prevented from separate rotation with respect to that of the shaft 2. Each washer member and cutter disk is provided with a radial cut gap 11, 12 so as to form a shape similar to the letter C.

These cup gaps 11, 12 are each provided at a certain definite position or angle relative to the position of the notch or check 9, 10, so that they are aligned together when inserted onto the shaft forming a common gap line onthe toothed surface of the splitter as shown in FIG. 2. The cutter disk has at its periphery a number of tooth cogs 13, the number and size of which may be varied depending upon the state or condition of the splits desired. Ratchet wheels 5, 6 are each provided with screw pins 14, 15, 16 and 17, 18, 19 etc. By turning these screw pins to advance the ratchet wheels inward or outward, a portion of the combined body of the cutter disks 8 and the washer member 7 interposed between the both ratchet wheels is forced against an inner face of one of the ratchet wheels and another part of the said body of the cutter disks and washer members is pushed against an inner face of the other ratchet wheel and thereby distorted into the condition as shown in FIG. 2, this distortion being possible through the cut gap 11 and 12. The degree of the twist can be varied by adjusting the depth of screwing depending upon the size or shape of the split pattern de sired. Thus, by adjusting the screw depth of the screw pins 14, 15, 16, etc. the space between the adjacent split lines formed on film can be easily narrowed or widened by staggering the stack of the cut ends of the toothed disk with respect to the cut gap line on the stacked cutter disks and washer members.

In operating the splitter of this invention, for example, in producing split yarn from synthetic plastic film, the splitter of this invention is used in combination with a suitable press roll. In FIG. 1, the press roll 20 has a shaft 21 placed in parallel to the shaft 2 of the splitter and is provided at its outer periphery with gearing protrusions 22 having the same pitch as the tooth cogs of the ratchet wheel and cutter disk so as to mesh therewith. The continuous film 23 of synthetic plastic materials is passed between the splitter and the press roll and split by rotating the splitter with combing action to form fine slits on the film, then the split film may be twisted and heat-set to give split yarn according to a conventional manner such as disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,378,997.

The size of the split may be varied depending upon the speed of the synthetic resin film to be delivered, rotating speed of the splitter and the contact pressure of the press roll. In addition, the state and condition of the split to be for-med can be suitably modified by simply adjusting the screw pins on the ratchet wheels thereby forming or changing the twist of the cutter disks so as to insure contact with desired frequency between the tooth cogs and the film over all its surface.

By use of the present invention it is now possible to give as fine and minute a split pattern .(as desired) on the synthetic resin film. This is done by suitably screwing the screw pins of the ratchet wheels thereby twisting, because of the fact that there is provided a cut gap on each of the cutter disks and washer members interposed therebetween, the cutter disks and thus changing the arrangement of the tooth cogs which are to be in contact with the film.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. A splitter for splitting synthetic resin film or sheet, which comprises. a plurality of toothed cutter disks and washer members alternately stacked in parallel and inserted onto a common shaft, each element of said cutter disk and washer member having a radial cut gap and being combined together in such a way that the cut gaps are arranged in alignment, and the combined cutter disks and the washer members being twisted at the cut gaps to the direction of the shaft.

2. The splitter of the claim 1 in which the twist on the cutter disks and the washer members is imparted by a number of screw pins provided at ratchet wheels coaxially fitted on the both sides of the combined cutter disks and washer members.

3. A splitter to be used for splitting continuous synthetic resin film or sheet, which comprises a plurality of toothed cutter disks, a plurality of washer members each stacked alternately with the toothed cutter disks, a pair of ratchet wheels each fitted with a plurality of screw pins and supporting both side ends of the combined stack of the cutter disks and washer members, and a common center shaft inserted to the ratchet wheels, cutter disks and washer members, each of said cutter disks and washer members having a radial cut gap which is positioned in such a way that it is aligned to form a cut gap line on the toothed surface of the splitter when assembled together, and the combined cutter disks and washer members being twisted in the direction of the shaft by driving the screw pins inwardly or outwardly to stagger the tooth arrangement with respect to the cut gap line.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,940,489 .6/ 1960 Feiner 83-665 X 3,378,997 4/1968 Matsui 28--1 X 3,423,796 1/1969 Nordstrand 22593 X JAMES M. MEISTER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X. R. 

